DISCOURSE NO. 1

SCIENTIFIC HERESY

Concerning science, are you an ignoramus, a conformist or a heretic?

INTRODUCTION

These are progressive stages in one's scientific education, because to preach heresy and challenge conformist doctrines you need first to understand those doctrines, understanding which comes only from orthodox teachings at a time when you must accept what you are taught, whereas you are still an ignoramus if you lack the insights afforded by such teaching.

What follows is a discourse for those who aspire to advance into the territory of scientific heresy. This involves research which does not build on the well-explored ground of the conformist, but has its foundations seated in the fertile soil of the unknown. We must explore the unknown if we are to discover the solutions to the many mysteries of science. However, once you tread off the straight and narrow path of the conformist and see scope for breaking the rule of law which prevails in orthodox scientific doctrine, then you are treading the path of the heretic. It can lead you into the desert, where you can be deceived by the occasional mirage, but there are coded messages in the sand and they are your guide to the ultimate truth.

I can say with pride that I am a heretic. I could see one of those coded messages from a safe distance while still on conformist terra firma. So I wandered off track to follow that lead. It led me initially through a desert region and then on to a jungle, a new but fruitful jungle, something which grew amongst the debris left behind by those who deserted what one may describe as 'three-space' to indulge in flights of fancy in their imagined world of 'four-space'. They carried with them those willing to assume the new orthodox relativistic faith. It is a faith in which one moves with time, and the faster one travels, the younger one becomes.

Not surprisingly, Einstein's theory gave impetus to the notion of space travel, but though that notion has captured the minds of many would-be scientists, its fascination is not linked to reality, and the subject lacks the fascination of heretical pathways which can lead one to the real truths of Nature, once those coded messages have been deciphered.

TEST YOUR JUDGMENT

Before our discourse embarks on that journey into heresy, I ask you to test your judgment by deciding whether, in your opinion, the following quotations are the words of a 'conformist' or a 'heretic':

"While the gravimetric system is likely to be the first field-dependent propulsion system developed, the field resonance effect will bring stellar and galactic travel out of the realm of science fiction. The field resonance system artificially generates an energy pattern which precisely matches or resonates with a virtual pattern associated with a distant space-time point. ..... At the same time, through the virtual many-dimensional structure of space-time, a very strong attraction with the virtual pattern of a distant space-time point will exist. .... However, the result, a space-time 'jump', already appears to be supported by astrophysical research. Several analogies can be used to clarify the effect. It can be described as the temporary formation of an Einstein-Rosen bridge, a tunnel through space-time which connects two different regions in space-time in a way similar to that which has been proposed for a black/white hole (quasar) connection. The resonance effect can be considered to be analogous to the nuclear particle tunneling phenomena. Following this analogy, the spacecraft's wave characteristics are increased dramatically by the artificially generated energy pattern, allowing it to tunnel through the space-time barrier without having the energy normally required to traverse the space between the two space-time points. ..... The travel times of such trips are expected to be short (seconds to weeks) .... Time does not have an independent existence in the General Theory of Relativity. .... Since the gravitational forces acting on the propulsion system can be quickly altered to achieve the desired motion, the spacecraft/aircraft experiences can be nearly instantaneously reoriented at a 90o angle, resulting in smooth continuous motion as far as the occupants are concerned. .... In order to explore a star system midway from the center of the Andromeda galaxy, several intermediate space-time jumps would likely be required for safety purposes."

Well, what is your verdict? Are these the words of a conformist or a heretic? Einstein's theory is an accepted doctrine in conformist physics as taught in academic institutions. So you may tend to see the author of those words as a conformist. On the other hand one can suspect that some wishful thinking has been exercised and see the author's words as verging on heresy. Before you answer, now take note that I have quoted from a paper AIAA-80-1233 delivered at the AIAA/SAE/ASME 16th Joint Propulsion Conference, held June 30-July 2, 1980 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA. Its title: 'Prospects for a Breakthrough in Field Dependent Propulsion'. Its author: A.C. Holt of the NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.

So, does that help? Conformist or heretic? Before you answer, now take note that the 'thrust' of the paper was not wholly concerned with propulsion of spacecraft, but an assertion of what might be possible given the funding necessary to carry this project forward at high speed. A concluding comment was:

"If the field physics laboratory can be completed by the end of 1982 or early 1983, extensive confirmation of a breakthrough and the quantification of associated field and space-time relationships should be achievable within 3 years (1986)."

So, there you are! I am writing this in 1998 and, although I am a scientific heretic, I have not strayed from the pathway of knowledge that tells me, intuitively, that travel through the wormholes of multi-dimensional space-time is anything other than science fiction. You must judge for yourself whether or not that NASA researcher can be classed as a heretic. Whatever you decide, do read on in these web pages to learn how heresy can be of service to mankind, not so much in promising future interstellar travel but in promising us the means to tap into the space medium to extract an abundant non-polluting energy resource.